Fever Bright
by New Neon
Summary: Zoro is sick and Sanji is willing to make him feel better, as long as Zoro doesn't over-stress his voice. Not that either man would back down from a challenge. Some Sanzo feelings smut for you all.


"Chopper says your fever is down now. You were pretty bad last night, you tried to bite me." Sanji says. Zoro opens his eyes and squints in the dark at Sanji. The other man is holding a bowl of something steaming in his hands.

"I don't remember that." He croaks, his throat protesting at the movement. He's almost lost his voice completely. The stupid bug had gone around the ship like wildfire, it struck both of the girls, Franky and Chopper both got it and the last to fall was him. He feels a lot less like death warmed up now and doesn't ache everywhere like he did before.

"How do you feel?" Sanji asks, stepping a little closer and pressing a cool, long fingered hand against Zoro's forehead. Zoro hisses and lets his eyes fall shut, tilting his head so that more of his face is in that blissfully cool palm. His fever is long since gone but Sanji's cool touch just feels so very good.

"Zoro." Sanji prompts him and Zoro has to rewind his mind so that he can remember what the cook asked.

"Like my skull is too small and I drank acid, but I'm ok." He rasps. Sanji's nose wrinkles and his brow furrows.

"Fucking hell marimo, your voice sounds like you put your vocal chords through a blender." Sanji says, sitting down on the edge of Zoro's bed. Since he's been ill he's been confined in a bedroom all of his own to stop the spread of the illness and to let him rest better. Frankly he'd rather be back in the bunkroom, he never thought he'd miss the sound of Usopp's snoring so much.

In lieu of replying Zoro simply flips the blonde cook off and weakly struggles to sit up. The illness might be mostly gone by now but it's still left him far weaker than he'd like. Sanji catches him by the back of the neck and steadies him as his balance sways and shifts. Zoro feels his eyes flutter shut and he slumps against Sanji's shoulder.

It's so strange, a few months ago he would never have dreamed about doing this to the cook. Allowing himself to be so weak before him, or showing such unguarded affection. He thanks his lucky stars that Sanji got hideously drunk a month ago and slurred out that he wouldn't put up with so much of Zoro's shit if he wants so hot. The cook had drunkenly realised what he had said and, being _incredibly_ drunk decided to hell with it and tried to shove his hands down Zoro's pants. The idiot had then tripped and face planted unconscious into the sand. As punishment Zoro had let Sanji sweat out the whole confession thing for a day or two before relenting and telling Sanji that yes, he did say it, yes he did remember and yes, he liked the cook too. Since then it had been enthusiastic make outs, shameless groping and secret hand jobs. The two of them were actually taking this reasonably slow, it was nice. And it had all been going so well until he got sick.

"I made you soup, specially. It ought to get you back on your feet, so eat it, you pathetic waste of oxygen." Sanji snaps and pushes the bowl into Zoro's hands. He is quite deliberately not saying that he's worried about Zoro, it's sweet.

Zoro stirs the soup and brings it to his mouth. It's perfection of course because it's Sanji's food and so he eats in silence.

"Do you think you're going to be better soon?" Sanji asks him suddenly.

"Mmm." Zoro hums and nods.

"Feel a lot better now, just kinda... weak." He admits quietly, his voice scratching.

"Oh god, don't talk. You'll lose your stupid voice completely." Sanji berates him. Zoro glares because, damnit, Sanji was the one who asked him the question in the first place!

"I'm not used to you being sick. You've never really been ill like this before." the cook says softly, his fingers anxiously fiddling with the hem of his waistcoat.

"And... I have to admit that I'd got rather used to being able to get my hands on your whenever I wanted." he adds.

"Pervert." Zoro croaks, earning himself a glare.

"I thought I said about you not talking." Sanji says, glowering at Zoro and taking the empty bowl back. Zoro sniggers silently.

"You're gonna lose your voice because you can't even manage to shut up for five fucking minutes." Sanji snaps with a glare. Zoro leans back on his elbows and shoots the cook his best challenging look, there's nothing that the cook can say to make him speak after issuing him a challenge like that. He supposes that's probably the cook's intention, but his stubbornness is going to rile the blonde even further and he loves getting under the cook's skin as much as he does getting into his pants.

The cook bristles at the obvious challenge.

"So what, you're just gonna keep quiet to spite me now?" Sanji frowns at him. Zoro nods smugly.

"I want you to keep quiet idiot, this isn't much of a challenge. You sure your brain isn't fried? I don't want to make you make a noise." Sanji reasons. Zoro shrugs with a soundless sigh and flicks Sanji a good challenging grin.

"Oh, what? You're implying that I couldn't break the amazing Zoro's silence even if I wanted to? Which, to be clear I don't." Sanji adds, for clarity.

Zoro nods and watches with interest as Sanji fights the internal struggle of not wanting to fall into an obvious trap but also not wanting to admit defeat by refusing to play. Something glimmers in the cook's eyes though and Zoro can't help but wonder what his blonde is thinking.

"So you think you can keep quiet no matter what then, hm?" the blonde says with a curious smirk.

Zoro tilts his head and considers this. Sanji is pretty damn unlikely to fight him, he's weak and it wouldn't be fair and if Sanji is one thing it's fair in their fights. He nods slowly and watches the slow catlike grin spread over the blonde's face.

Sanji moves so that his knees are on the bed, one in between Zoro's pyjama'd legs and one on the outside. The cook slinks up towards him looking increasingly fluid and catlike. Zoro wonders for a moment if Chopper's meds are still messing with his perceptions.

Sanji's hands stop by Zoro's elbows and and blonde leans in oh so slowly, until his mouth is right by Zoro's ear.

"Gotta hold you to that dare ma~ri~mo. Silent, remember? Your poor voice can't take it." Sanji breathes, his lips touching Zoro's ear and making him jolt. Just where is this going?

He stays still though, his curiosity and his pride keeping him in place.

Sanji leans down a little and one long cool finger under his jaw tilts Zoro's head back. Sanji presses the most featherlight of kisses to Zoro's throat.

"Your poor throat." Sanji hums softly in the quiet of the bedroom with Zoro is very suddenly glad to have.

Zoro sighs breathily and Sanji gives him a warning glare, but as far as Zoro is concerned, Sanji can't get him for breathing hard.

Sanji shifts his weight back onto his legs runs cool, long fingered hands over Zoro's hot and oversensitive skin. They run over Zoro's ribs, slowly over each one and down his sides. Fingertips map out his scar and trace the old pattern in a way that fires Zoro's fried and poorly stitched back together nerves. He bites his lip, a reminder to himself to keep quiet.

He looks up at the cook, his cook and wants. He doesn't know quite how he got so lucky to get the other man but he did. He reaches a hand up to Sanji's face and the cook pauses, nuzzling into his palm and biting the inside of his wrist with a gentle scrape of teeth that passes for affectionate.

"No way, I'm the one testing you here. Besides, you're sick. Shouldn't be over exerting yourself now, should you?" Sanji teases and bats Zoro's hand away. Zoro grits his teeth, goddamn difficult cook. He'd punch him for that if he wasn't reasonably sure that any attempt at doing so would but humiliatingly weak.

Sanji kisses at Zoro's jaw and presses his hip into Zoro's groin in a way that makes Zoro unsure as to whether this was an incredibly good idea or an incredibly bad one. He splays his hands weakly across the front of Sanji's waistcoat and softly just... feels him.

"I've missed you, you know?" Sanji says quietly, like it's a secret. Zoro looks down and sees the blonde glancing up at him through an embarrassed blush. Zoro has to clamp down on the whine that statement nearly draws from him, it's so... perfect. But he needs to show Sanji somehow. He rushes forward and buries his hands in Sanji's hair, stroking through the silky strands and just... pressing their foreheads together. He's wary of kissing the cook directly, he doesn't want to make him sick, but he can't restrain himself from everything.

"I know I shouldn't, after not even a week." Sanji adds and pulls free, burying his face in Zoro's neck. He bites him gently, almost as an after thought and the conflicting ideas make Zoro's hips jerk. He feels Sanji grin against his skin.

"So, you're so sure you can be quiet then?" Sanji says, his hand travelling south (which is down obviously). The cool fingers still feel great on his overheated skin and Zoro can't help but squirm and when Sanji's hand slides down underneath his pyjamas he gasps and twitches.

Sanji props himself up on one elbow and rolls to the side to watch him whilst his other hand busies itself by wrapping around Zoro's dick. Zoro's mouth falls open, drawing in a silent breath as he shivers, still too sensitive from his illness. It feels goddamn fantastic though and he's not going to stop Sanji.

"You're doing a lot better than I thought you would. I should have thought of this before to make you shut up." Sanji purrs, brushing his nose along Zoro's cheek and kissing his overheated skin.

Zoro's head pushes back into the pillow as Sanji's hand moves with perfect timing, it's so much better than when he does it himself. Not just because he can lose himself in the feeling but because he knows that it's Sanji right there with him, doing this.

Sanji is the one doing this for him, trying to make him feel good, to challenge him, to break him apart and build him up again. He is so fucking lucky. And here Sanji is, wanting to be with him, to touch him even though he's sweaty, croaky and gross. Even now Sanji still wants him.

He gasps and curls into Sanji's side mouthing silent prayers and thanks into Sanji's skin.

"I've got you." Sanji murmurs against him, his breath moving Zoro's sweat-damp hair. Zoro shudders out a breath against Sanji's throat. He shouldn't be doing this, he's going to get Sanji sick, or at the very least make a mess of his suit. He doesn't have it in him to pull away though and instead all he can do is hold onto the front of Sanji's waistcoat with his fists clenched weakly in the fabric. One of Sanji's hands strokes soothingly down Zoro's bare and shaking back, soothing him whilst the other works it's magic on his cock. The two sensations of calm and pleasure pull Zoro in different directions and he's sure that something in him is just going to rip in two.

He really can't hold back any longer and he opens his mouth to warn Sanji, to hell with the bet. All that comes out though is some kind of soundless exhale, his voice apparently having decided to truly leave. He clutches onto Sanji like he's the only thing in the world, and right now he is. He probably always is, probably always will be.

It feels like he comes apart more than he comes. He feels all the pieces of him shatter under Sanji, all the bright beautiful feelings that he has for the other man just all broken apart for the other man to brush those long dainty fingers through. Everything isn't neatly contained anymore and there's no keeping him out or at a safe distance now. The world spins and he can't quite breathe fast enough to stop it.

"Okay, you're good. You're so good. You're great, come on, come back." Sanji breathes softly to him.

Zoro's eyes refocus a little and he sees Sanji leaning over him, looking down at him.

"Hey, there you are." Sanji whispers and just lightly presses his nose to the tip of Zoro's, a kiss without the contagion.

Uncoordinated and still fever-bright Zoro paws at the front of Sanji's waistcoat, down towards his belt buckle.

"Go to sleep marimo, I can deal. Get better." Sanji says, shaking his head and kissing Zoro's temple. Zoro's hands fall limp to the mattress below him and he struggles to keep his eyes open. He's not sure if he mouths 'I love you' to Sanji or if he actually manages to say it, but he's not awake long enough to find out.


End file.
